Junior hurdles champion Daniela Roman lashes out at drug testers

Sports Writer

Facing a 16-month ban from all sport for refusing to produce a urine sample, Australia’s junior 100 metres hurdles champion Daniela Roman has lashed out at "clueless and unprofessional" testers.

While Roman’s case, kept confidential for more than a year, is yet to be laid out publicly by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, the 18-year-old rising star, who was due to make her world titles debut in July, has vented on social media.

In elaborate postings on Facebook, Roman - a junior national champion for the past four years - was scathing of ASADA testers after being notified her name had been entered on the anti-doping body’s register of findings.

Roman detailed how, after winning at the national titles in March 2013, ASADA testers asked her to provide a sample.

"I agreed to participate and, after drinking four bottles of water and waiting over 2½ hours, I still could not give a sample because I was severely dehydrated," she wrote. "The main reason why I couldn’t give a sample was because of ASADA’s incompetence, lack of knowledge and reasoning at that particular moment."

Roman claimed in her online postings - now deleted - that she asked the drug testers what might happen if she could not produce a test.

"They could not provide me with any information … and were completely clueless and unprofessional about the whole situation," she wrote.

Roman then detailed how she and her coach, who Fairfax Media understands is her father, left the drug testers without producing a sample because, in Roman’s words: "It was truly well beyond a joke."

In recent weeks, the young star was informed by email that ASADA proposed a 16-month ban from all sport – backdated from June 13, 2013.

While Roman has the option to appeal, she appeared resigned to her fate: "I didn’t go to the World Youths last year and it looks like I won’t be going to the World Juniors either," she wrote.

A spokesperson for Athletics Australia declined to comment on the matter on Friday when contacted by Fairfax Media.

Although she was under investigation by ASADA for more than a year following her refused test, Roman was allowed to continue competing while her case was considered.

The matter has been in ASADA’s hands for roughly the same time as the national anti-doping authority has been dealing with the unprecedented probes into the AFL and NRL.

While Athletics Australia is refusing to comment on the situation, it would appear that Roman’s replacement has been picked after Liz Clay announced on Twitter on Friday morning that she was now part of Australia's world titles team.